Magico S5 vs KEF Blade 2 vs TAD Evo One vs YG Kipod II Sig w/pwr bass

Normie57,

How much space do you have between the speaker and side wall? Did you get room treatments? The side firing drivers always concern me when I look at potential rooms to place my future Blades.

Clayton and Vac - sweet combo, I love Clayton amps. People cry about a little hum but who cares. Hardly no one else gives that much Pure Class a power so there are trade offs for everything / I know they have fixed much of that now but that's is sweet sounding stuff. I think Pass .5 amp have that sound also - the Pass maybe a bit cleaner and more extended but both very much to my liking. I don't think VAC has ever made anything that doesn't sound fantastic. Sure the older stuff was more tubey but you can say that about any of the great tube making OEM's.

My wife took the KEF Blade out of contention which is a shame because I liked the idea of them a lot.

She saw them then said - what - are you crazy. 

I love them but we Audiophiles tend to look at the world a bit different than everyone else I guess but I loved them. 

Had a great dealer that spoke earlier on this post that offered me a great deal but it's looking like Magico S5's.

Sonus Fabre Strataveri Speakers

i have an offer for a pair of these for the same price as Magico S5's?

What do you guys think?

Ive never been a Sonus Faber fan other than the looks but my buddy said these are different and very special speakers?

Can anyone provide any feedback! 

Fsmithjack,

You may find this interesting. Talks about the Blade and KEF's answer to people who do not like the look.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/kef-reference-5-loudspeaker

yysantabarbara

Ive got 3.5 ft between the side wall (lightly treated with some absorbers made by a friend) and the side firing woofers and just over 6 ft between the loudspeakers. Doesn’t sound like an optimal setup but it works really well. The Blades just love Clayton amplifiers and the Clayton loves the transformer coupled VAC preamp. All the best!

The Strataveri speakers are among my favorite speakers. Ever. Of all time.

They have the detail and imaging of ESL's with the smoothness and dynamic range of the best dynamic driver speakers.

Those wide baffles are AMAZING in how much better they sound in most rooms compared to traditional speakers. It's like bringing in speakers and room treatment at the same time.

Best,

E

GUYS / GALS NEED YOUR ADVICE PLEASE!

A friend said this preamp is outstanding and will sound great with Pass Labs amps and to not get caught up in the specs but the measurements say different.

Pass Labs X350.5 amplifier with input Impedance 30k ohms Balanced or 20k ohms Single ended*
(*source Pass Labs Manual)  

Hovland HP-100 source impedance 2500ohms*
(*source Stereophile)

Guys / Gals, can I used my Pass Labs X350.5 amp with Hovland HP-100 preamp? Has anyone used Pass amps with Hovland pre's. I will be using Magico S5 Speakers and Bricasti M1SE DAC but want it to sound the best it can. Should I just stick with the Aesthetix Calypso pre I was leaning toward before my gut said to go for the Hovland HP-100

Hovland HP-100 Preamplifier: * Output impedance: approximately 2500 ohms or according to Atkinson, Hovland HP-100 (2500ohms) its source impedance was high at 2.4k ohms, rising to 4.3k ohms at 20Hz. The partnering power amplifier would best have an input impedance of at least 47k ohms if the bass is not to sound lean*. The Pass Labs doesn't meet the x10 requirement it is supposed to but it is sort of close when looking at it. What do you guys think? I am not sure what to do but you guys will know what to do?

I posted in the preamp section but wanted to ask you guys also as many know the Magico speakers and they say the sealed box bass can sound a bit lean so don't want to add to it with impedance mismatch with pre and amp but also the numbers are not terrible so maybe you guys can give me some advice?
Thanks 

Magico is a very well engineered speaker. There is no way a lowther driver even in the fanciest aesthetic box can even hold a candle to the Magico S5. I would not try to get a more tube euphonic sound out of such a wonderfully engineered speaker but your taste must be quite eccentric if you can equally love such two very different speakers.

Well I really like the Magico's but I am listening to them not set up properly and only for about an hour or so and I'm sure they will sound so much better once settled and matched up and set up properly. Plus my Rethm's have been optimized equipment wise and tweak wise over the last year to perfection so certainly not a fair comparison. 

That said I am not speaking about artilcles I read or hearing speakers for a couple songs at shows.

I own both of these speakers and both are in my room with my own gear and trust me my taste is just regular like anyone's - no special taste or preference from the standpoint that great equipment sounds great and better equipment sounds better.

I've owned Wilsons, Revels, Kharma, Ascendo, Sonus Faber, Harbeth, Merlin, Dynaudio, Audio Physic, Focal, B&W, Martin Logan, Magnapan, Quads and many others and many different models for many of these brands. I went on a tear a few years back. Amps did the tons as well from the Big Class A Krells to the buttery smooth Premier CJ's and much of everything in between and I certainly don't claim to be an expert or pro on any of it but I can speak of it from a first hand ownership experience and what I am quite confident speaking to is when something clearly - not subtle but clearly sounds better than something else.

Not to just my ears or in general. Some things are just better. Not warmer or brighter - I am not talking small nuisances I'm talking Flat out - smack right between the eyes - better - simple stuff really - no goldern ears needed. Better is better. Other than these Magico's the Rethm's were by FAR the best speakers I've ever owned. I can tell right now they floor the Magico's in imaging but imaging is just a small part of the whole. My gut says the Magico's are an overall better speaker, more refined, more sophisticated, more bass, more slam, more of everything but I've got some work to do to get to that. The Rethm's are not about to just lay down I promise you that. They are to dang good. That is why I chose such a good speaker in the Magico S5 because I knew it would take an outstanding speaker to better the Rethm. I want a better / improved pair of speakers and knew I needed to step us based on all the former speakers I've owned and what the Rethm's did to them. I knew It would take a very special speaker to beat them and I think I accomplish just that goal.

Thankfully I might add but these Magico's seem like they would benefit from some tubes and I think the BAT VK-32SE is not a slouch of a tube preamp. It's pretty dynamic and extended but has tubes.

I'm still considering Ayre K-1xe and maybe even a Pass Labs XP10 but I think the Ayre is probably a better pre but not positive. I think my pre choice is going to be pretty important getting the most out of the Magico's inline with my presence.

That's said I love the Rethm's with my Bricasti direct as it has grown on me direst to my Pass Labs X350.5.

To another point the Rethm's are not Lowers in a fancy box. That was the old model. They make their own proprietary drivers partnering with an Indian driver OEM and they are incredible.

Everyone that has heard them in my room were blow away by them not just me. A couple well know OEM's, a couple NA Distributors all were like wow I never these things sounded like that. Most people think they are just Lowthers in a fancy box but nothing could be further than the truth!

guys - BAT VK32SE or Ayre K-1xe

or maybe Pass Labs XP10

Would love some feedback!!

thanks 

Congrats, fsmithjack, on your new speakers. You obviously have "paid your dues" through ownership experiences with many of the finest pieces of gear over many years. Hoping that you have found yet another personal pinnacle of excellence with the Magicos. Enjoy!

Dave

Thanks so much Dave - I'm psyched !!! They are pretty awesome!!! I was on the speaker go round a couple years back and just couldn't find a good match! Seems like I nailed this one right away! 
thanks 

@fsmithjack

Great that you like so many very different designs and very different sounds. Your taste is eclectic and your hobby is like that of a grand master chef trying different dishes and inventive recipes with the very best ingredients.

Thanks Shadorn,

I guess you guys are right - I just never looked at it like that but I am learning and even now from this post! Thanks for all the great feedback.

For me if it's a single paper driver cone with wizzer in plastic PCB pipe or Aircraft Alluminum alloy with carbon fiber and Beryllium drivers its still all about making music that comes out. 2-watt SET amp or 700 watt SS amp it's just what does the music sound like and what one sounds better. Not different everything is different but what's better. Not to my ears or preference but objective what sounds better is what I ask? 

The rest is just the rest and if I just listen and let me ears do the decision making then I'm good. 

These sound more alike than different which is the crazy thing. 

I could go on all day cataloguing the difference in our Audiophile terms and that would be fun and great but for me the question is what gets you closer - gets you right in there - right there or right up to it as close as possible and there are so many different ways to get to the exact same place is how I see it. The journey is fun also! 

Dave (audiotory),

I'm using an Ayre KX-5 Twenty preamp and VX-5 amp to drive LS50s with the idea of eventually replacing the LS50s with something like Blade 2s.  Would that be a good match?  I had originally planned to replace the LS50s with my KEF Reference 107/2s, but they need the KUBE to realize their potential, and Charles Hansen discourages inserting anything between the Ayre preamp and amp.  Other option is Wilson Sophia 3s.

db

HELP !!!!!!!!!!! 

Magico owners, fans or anyone that can help? 

I am told Magico can be super revealing of a problem or weakness upstream which is fine is that is what it is and when you know the weakness???

I am so bummed out!

Shoukd say super bummed - got my Magico S5 set up and I mean everyone says how incredible they are -

I mean I don't think any of these are big time bottlenecks or weakness causing system sound problems being exposed by Magico or are they??? 

I have a first rate source - Bricasti M1SE - first rate amp - Pass Labs X350.5 which is known to be a pretty warm amp - HiDiamond D8 Speaker Cables which are not Nordost Oden but are very nice copper cables that cook over and over to get all impurities out of when they manufacture the cable and are quite compitant, Verestarr Grand Illusion Signature IC's which are also very nice and even a bit warm and these Magico's are burning a whole right through my head like a lazier beam.

 I've been setting them up and measuring and tweaking and they are giving me a royal head ache now?

How can this be? I spent a ton of money and time and was so looking forward to these?

These are top rate speakers? They make me want to buy a Cary preamp an old school CJ tube amp and get Cardas Golden Cross Cable Full Loom? Which I can't do and I'm sure would sound like crap?

Even my non audiophile wife said these don't sound as nice as your other speakers - how come? Msybe she sensed it from me but I'm like - really ?? 

Any advice? Maybe my brain needs to adjust but there is going to be some serious adjustment- my last speakers were total opposite of laid back - they were ultra revealing but I wasn't expecting this?

Bummed to the extream but also hoping a tube pre and maybe a cable change can get these to settle down?? Maybe need to be driven a while also? Just back from Magico and had some service so maybe some new parts or something needs to break in??

I ran them low volume 24 hours before any critical listening if you can call it that? I need to do something and change something just not sure where the heck to start ??? 

Anything with a berryllium tweeter is going to be touchy in the highs.  What kind of power conditioning do you have?  What room treatment?

I have no room treatments - my room is decent size though / 24x15 set up on long wall with 16 foot to the peak cathedral ceilings - you can click on my member id and see my room with old speakers - tons of room on both sides of speakers and side walls and plenty behind them also. I'm thinking my pure silver IC might be the culprit - I plug my Pass Labs X350.5 straight into the wall - that's what Nelson says is best / for everything else I use the decent HiDiamond HDX2 which uses good parts and good copper cable - same as my speaker cable - my power cable is one of those super open ones also the Veretar Grand Illusion II / so thinking the Verestarr cables might be a bit much but not sure / pricy trial and error process here that's why I'm asking for help! Thanks !!! 

You need a quality power conditioner like the Shunyata Denali and room treatments.

From Soundstage's review:

But those tracks, and others, showed me that I had to be a little careful with the S5’s extreme highs. Like the mids, they were exceedingly clear, but they were also designed to be neutral -- there was no subtle rolloff in the highest frequencies, as there was with the V2, which was a tad polite up top. As a result, the S5 sounded quite lively on top, even a little hot, depending on the recording. This wasn’t a problem in my room, which is very large, and has a carpeted floor that absorbs some of the highs. What I experienced with the S5s, even when listening on the tweeter axes, was a clean, thoroughly extended top end not at all unlike the XO Cericas’, which was also prominent. In a room more reflective than mine, the S5’s lively top end might have to be compensated for with speaker placement (less toe-in, meaning listening farther off the tweeter axis), and/or
absorptive materials.

"Anything with a berryllium tweeter is going to be touchy in the highs."

No such issues with my Revel Salon 2s.  

@fsmithjack

The tweeter used in the older version of the S5 is inadequate. It compresses terribly above 90 dB SPL (a major design mistake on this speaker probably corrected on subsequent models). Perhaps you listen loud and are sensitive to this harsh dull distorted sound? Being a metal dome it will also have plenty of high end and risk of resonances. Finally, tweeters that compress easily at modest volumes like 90 dB SPL will likely burn up their tweeter Ferrofluid quickly. If these speakers are a few years old then I would consider to replace the tweeters.

Based on your outstanding list of previous ownership I think your speakers are not working properly - have the tweeters checked first and see if there is an upgrade available.

Here is a link - check the two "deviation from linearity" plots the performance of the tweeter is horrendous for a speaker at this price/quality. (2 dB compression at 90 dB and 3dB at 95)


http://www.soundstagenetwork.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1043:nrc-measu...

As the voice coil in the tweeter heats up the resistance increases and then the crossover will no longer work properly as it is not matched for the higher tweeter impedance. Since the crossover is around 2KHz any trouble there will be easily audible and that frequency can sound harsh if elevated.

Trust your ears!

Shadorne - I was thinking that but these came directly from Magico. I called them spoke to them. He was like they were here 3 days ago in the lab on the bench and they told me they are perfect - and test perfect. He said they seemed like they were hardly used at all - basically like new and told me everything is perfect with them. No I don't listen loud at all and most always under 90spl. Avg like 86-87 - just not into loud except once in a while - maybe pop up to 89 but rare over 90.

i think they hate the combo of my DAC direct to my amp and hate my IC and PC to amp. I think they need different and balanced IC's to go with a balanced tube preamp and different Pc for pre and amp. 

Not sure but hope this does the trick but also this is not a cheap bit of changes needed either. This group of stuff cost some doe and I wasn't expecting it all :(

I was hoping they would sound good - different but good but not the case. I had nothing to do with my old speakers or what I'm used to. Any person after 2 minutes will say yeah Houston we have a problem here... 

Shadorne raises an interesting point, but I would add that the compression at 90+ db shown in the SoundStage measurements, rather than applying to listening levels of 90+ db, applies to the situation where 90+ db levels (at 2 meters) occur in the mid to upper treble region itself.  And that will occur VERY infrequently for most listeners on most recordings.

Also, I posted an unrelated thought about the issue in the thread you started about it yesterday.

Regards,
-- Al
   

@fsmithjack 

If you are certain the speakers are 100% then check your source - maybe you are overdriving your preamp input or something is broken.

Your speakers should sound fantastic with just an iPhone plugged into your Preamp.

Hey guys - I have an update - I updated my setup advice post and wanted to share with you guys as well:

  UPDATE:

Ok so I am trying out some different - well matching cables tonight guys! Psyched !!!

My local Magico dealer - the great folks at Goodwin Audio in Waltham, Ma are letting me try out some Kubala-Sosna Expression Speaker Cables and a pair of Balanced Interconnects tonight.

I am pretty excited about this. They tell me they have used Kubala-Sosna in their demo rooms with Magico and used these exact cables with S5's in the past and they know for sure they are a good match so this gets to help reduce some variables here which is awesome!

I will try these tonight and update you guys. So hope they help!
 
Also, if these don't do the trick or at least help go in the right directio Goodwin will send out a Magico guy to come over my house and check everything out and help me with set up and listen for themselves to help figure out what the problem/s are, offer me some ideas and help me out.

How are awesome are these guys? I couldn't afford to buy new Magico's from them but I can buy some cables and pay them for their service to help me so I am pretty excited. They have been awesome! This is a great dealer and I am very thankful. They as well as you guys have really reduced my audio anxiety - well for now anyways :)

I'll keep you posted. Too bad I can add pics on here?    

Congrats on getting your new speakers. I'm sure it must be a relief that you finally took the call.
Since you asked & just for the acedemic interest now. 
https://www.kaiser-acoustics.com/en/speakers/chiara/chiara.htm
Link of the chiara. Guess they have only one dealer in new York called rhapsody audio in NY.
All the best with getting your new setup right.
Cheers

AudioTroy or Dave;

I’ve had the opportunity to visit AXPONA over the years and listened to all.

Your comments on all, in this thread; are spectacular & very “ spot on”

A big company and research will prevail over the smaller guys.........The Kef & Personna comment is spot on too

my opinion....also

To bad you are way out east , Is love to listen to your setups 

now you got got me wanting to re listened to the Blades again

well done

jeff

fsmithjack-
Conrad Johnson pre-amps are a sonic match with Pass Labs power amps.
At this level, listen to as many pre-amps as possible prior to any purchase.
Keep me posted. Happy Listening!

Hey Guys - the Kubala Sonsa Expression were not good enough cables - not bad at all - HiDiamonds were better even though bright! 

I love CJ preamp but everyone says with the Pass Labs X350.5 they are best run Balanced - do you guys are?? 

Was thinking BAT VK-32SE and Cardas cables and IC's?

thoughts?? 

😂😂😂 Does anyone else hear the music from the merry-go-round here? 😁

Have been running my Magico S5's for 5 days straight. During the days while at work been putting some volume into them.

Goodwins tells me they are not broken in. They are I think the First U.S. Magico dealer. Thought buying used I'd be good on that end.

The original owner said he didn't use them much but I assumed that was meant as relative term not a literal one. Goodwins tells me the Magico's need the break-in much more so than other speakers. They said they don't even listen to them until they have minimum 300 hours on them and they actually need quite a bit more until they settle in the 600 - 700 hour mark. I guess the tweeters and those carbon fiber nano tubes take forever to settle-in. Any other Magico owners experience this with their speakers?

@fsmithjack 

600-700 break in is ridiculously long. A few hours perhaps at a stretch. I think after 700 hours you would become totally acclimatized to their sound - if you call that break in!

Well yeah that would be great if I got to listen like that. Maybe when I'm retired and my kids are all gone though college and out on their own which won't be for some time.

Out of those 600 - 700 hours maybe 5 - 7 hours would be me actually listening to them so heck yeah if I listened to anything that long I'd know it pretty well.

I wouldn't know myself - these speakers are all new to me. Just what I've been told by Magico dealers and 2 owner. Would love more owner feedback if any out there can share??

One owner said north of 500 and the other told me around 300 but it's the dealers that have broke in a bunch of them and I'm sure have a better feel for how they evolve that I tend to put more weight behind.

Neither batted and eyelash - these are flat out bears to break in and their sound changes a great deal - tight / bright / analytical / thin in the lower mids - that is the textbook unbroken in sound of Magico but that all changes or so I'm told!! 

I probably have a couple hours listening only myself - been traveling for work but that time is not wasted they are burning in 24 a day which is nice and some decent volume during the day time. 

@fsmithjack 

FWIW I would not buy a speaker that required 600-700 hours to break in. This is terrible engineering and horrible build quality. I don't believe Magico is that bad - I think the dealer just wants you to acclimatize your ears to the new sound versus your previous laid back speakers.

What do you own that is so much better than my Magico S5's?

I mean they are only $30k speakers so obviously $100k speakers will be better but now let's compare those to Magico's $100k builds? 

Maybe they do take a long time to settle in - maybe not - who knows - this is my first go round with Magico's but as far as them having terrible engineering and terrible build quality - that's a joke !

I've never seen any speaker built like these speakrs. I mean - I'm not a zillionaire so maybe you have much better speakers and to you my Magico's are nothing? 

These are the best I've ever owned by far! This is my personal high water mark for build quality.

These are built out metal and are 200 pounds and Magico seems to use top quality parts and materials in the cabinets, crossovers and drivers. 

Maybe the sound is or isn't for me only time will tell but these have such an amazing quality build quality that I've never known. I'm certainly no expert but everything about there speakers exudes world class build to me but maybe I'm out of my depth. 

Im hoping maybe someone with more Magico experience can chime in about them?

Thanks 

I had Magico Mini 2s they took 800 to 1000 hrs to break in because the size of the Mundorf caps in the xover.Magico buys the best caps,wire etc.There will always be Magico detractors many people can't afford them or there idea of great sound is not the same as ours  .I now have Magico Q3s and like the M3 which is a little better at a much higher cost,The Q3s took over 800 hrs to break in.Remember it takes 3 things to make a great speaker xover,drivers and cabinet Magico had that in spades.If you want to hear better bass and more detail look at Symposium stands with or without spikes this will depend on your floors.I assure my stands will stand up to the Magico feet at $9500.00  at a much lower cost.I do not believe the stainless steel spikes are not great for the sound.They came with my Rixrax i used copper spikes they sounded much better.Remember Magico is a truly high definition speaker that will tell you everything that is wrong in your system.So enjoy your wonderful new speakers and don't worry about the detractors.Enjoy!!

Thanks ebm - appreciate the feedback a lot !!!! :)

Those Q3 look amazing. Would like to think those are my next stop down the road in a few years. Maybe if a MKII comes out. That helped me afford the S5's when the MK II came out.

The Goodwins Guys said 600 - 700 hours they settle in nicely but they keep getting better longer :) - 

Dave / Audiotroy mentioned those bases as great upgrades for reasonable money. I'm gonna try them a bit down the road. I totally agree that they expose the weakness in the chain - maybe it's soley break in but I think my IC and SC are not good matches.

Do you use tubes anywhere?

I'm fixing to add a BAT preamp to scratch my tube itch? Curious what you use for pre, amp, cables?

Thanks again for the feedback! 

Thanks for the info Dave! Was thinking one of those mega systems some people have that I only get to dream about.  

ATC's are excellent speakers though. I've heard quite a few and liked them all. Especially the powered ones. Nice and accurate and precise and very linear.

Got a few hours in tonight with the Magico's. Starting to get a little more acclimated to them. One thing I notice is how other recordings I use to think were of decent and of similar quality sound so different from one an other now. Some sound so much worse and others so much better and some are amazing but they never stood out so different like that before! These are just such different speakers and I do like very much how the real good recordings are now amazing - I'm hearing stuff I've never heard before and man do they hold together - always. They are one stable and confident speaker. 

fsmithjack, as I mentioned you have to totally retrain your brain. 

A Magico has a much more pronounced treble than the Rythems. I know the Rythems are an improved Lowthar type design but without a doubt they do sound much more shelved in the top end compared to a state of the art Beryilium or Diamond tweeter, hence you are hearing both the good and bad of the recording world.

As you improve your components by adding a real power conditioner, adding room tuning, adding a real server, you will be able to selectively tune the system to sound the way that you like.

I still stick to my guns that an Audience power conditioner will give you just the right amount of warmth without taking away too much detail.

If you want a line on really cheap warm sounding cable try the Soundstring line, sounded a lot like the Kubalas at 1/3 the price. The Gen II. 

Dlcockrum 10-19-17
shadorne has ATC SCM-100A powered loudspeakers. ~$6K. They are really great speakers by all accounts, especially for rock at high SPLs. ATC claims that these are used by several top mastering engineers by name and they probably are.

Hi Dave,

I believe you were looking at the description of one of Shadorne's previous systems.  His most recent system description indicates a pair of ATC EL150SL speakers, which I believe sell in the USA for well over 10 times that amount.

Best regards,
-- Al
 

Hi fsmithjack,

I underestimating the price of the ATC SCM-100s - more like $15k best I can tell. Definitely a fine speaker worthy of audition by anyone looking in that price range. Easy on amps too.

Audiotroy Dave pretty much nailed it. You have moved to a speaker that is very high up on the resolution scale and it will change your listening world in almost every way as you have already experienced.

BTW - I have been experimenting with Dueland 16 gauge speaker cables and 20 gauge ICs. Very inexpensive. Very smooth/glare & grain free yet open and airy in the upper mids/treble, textured and rich in the mids, and the bass sound character is the best I have heard from any cable with my Thiels. The Dueland wire ($10/m) and RCA connectors are available from Parts Connexion in Canada and Chris will even assemble/terminate the ICs for you for a nominal charge. Speaker wire is said to sound best "bare-ended" (no terminals), although I have not tried this. A few hundred bucks for the whole deal. I am simply in disbelief at the performance of this inexpensive wire. Could be worth your while to try these before spending big $$. If you want terminated and finished speaker cables using multiple strands of the Dueland wire, Tweek Geek has a very nice pair for relatively small expenditure advertised here on Audiogon. I have these on trial right now and they are killer.

Dave

@dlcockrum

I have built several systems like most people here. I think the system you refer to was a 7.1 all ATC system. That 7.1 system is perfect for HT but for the last few years I use a simplified setup with a pair of active ATC EL150SL for 2 channel music only.

https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/6257

I did not recommend ATC on this thread as I didn’t see the OP asking about them. If there is interest I can always add something. ATC is not for everyone. Definitely one of the most revealing speakers in the world. If Magico gives fsmithjack a headache then ATC would probably bore a hole right through his head! LOL

@dlcockrum

"That’s all fine, Shadorne. Making comments degrading others’ equipment is not."

Agreed. However you seem to think it is fine to degrade other people. Not sure what is worse - a link to a technical article pointing out a technical issue with equipment or a personal attack against a person for their views that don’t match your own?

Wanted to update my threads

Hey Guys - I borrowed an inexpensive tube preamp and man what a difference. My rig was screaming for tubes. So much so now I'm thinking about a tube amp also?

I know Magico needs / should have a SS amp. I only listen at normal levels. Just don't enjoy music real loud except once in a while. Do you think an ARC Reference 150 amp can drive Magico S5 Speakers proper at normal levels in my room? I just think for my taste with these speakers tubes can go a long way. Not quite sure that the ARC REF 150 is enough amp though? Thoughts?

Loaded a few pics of my re-fit rig that is starting to take shape. Have new speaker cables coming (Cardas Clear Reflection) and new preamp (BAT 32SE) and am considering trading my Pass Labs X350.5 and a few bucks for a ARC REF 150. Thoughts?

I moved speakers out to very outside edge of carpet that can be seen in 3rd pic or so and that helped a bit. Pics make them look closer together than they really are.

https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/5160

We have a demo pair of Cj arts 275 watts of pure tube goodness.

I wish - can you sell for $1000 plus Pass Labs X350.5 amplifier?